Hi all,
Just came back from a short break in Tasmania. As usual, not specifically a
birding trip (mainly family stuff) but I managed to find some time to get
out and about.
The bad news first - I didn't find Dusky Robin. I imagine that these birds
are not too difficult but in three days birding I failed to come across any.
However, I did see all the remaining endemics and a number of good mammals.
My thanks go particularly to Bill Wakefield for a few handy tips and an
afternoon of birding after the pelagic.
A trip to the Peter Murrell reserve near Blackmans Bay on the 9th yielded
good views of 40 Spotted Pardalote as well as Black-headed and
Yellow-throated Honeyeaters (both species widespread and common in all the
places I visited), Scarlet Robins and Fan-tailed Cuckoo. We also saw 40 spot
on Maria Island where we spent a night. Other highlights on Maria included a
group of 20-35 Common Dolphins on the ferry crossing, Hooded Plovers near
the jetty, Satin Flycatcher, Flame Robins at the reservoir and loads of
Black Currawongs.
With the obvious exception mentioned earlier, the other endems were quite
easy to pick up just by travelling around.
I attended the pelagic off Eaglehawk Neck on the 10th which was a roller
coaster ride in 3m+ swells and not ideal conditions to see anything. But as
a newcomer to the southern hemisphere Wandering Albatross and Gould's
Petrels were welcome additions to the list.
Now onto some mammals. Sadly the density of mammals in Tasmania is most
clearly demonstrated by the quantity of roadkills. I only saw dead Tasmanian
Devils and Eastern Quoll. A few hours driving along roads below Mount
Wellington proved very profitable with Rufous-bellied Padamelon, Bennett's
Wallaby and the ubiquitous dark morph Brush-tailed Possum (all the
individuals we saw on Maria Island were grey). The highlights that evening
were undoubtedly Southern Bettong which was feeding on the edge of the
ridgeway road in grassy open forest and Eastern Barred Bandicoot. The latter
species was very easy to find - I saw 5 in about 20 minutes driving around
the Tinderbox peninsula.
Maria Island is also a good place to see mammals but I think one night is
not enough. It was a bit disappointing but only in the sense that we saw
stacks of Rufous-bellied Padamelons, Bennett's Wallabys and Eastern Grey
Kangaroos but little of anything else. A Wombat and Brush-tailed Possum were
nosing around the bins in the campsite but the wind picked up in the evening
so it was difficult to locate anything else.
In summary, there is a lot to see in and around Hobart and Tasmania is not a
daunting prospect for quick visits. I'll be going back at some stage to try
and see Dusky Robin as well as the mammalian predators that eluded me.
Regards,
Simon.
_____________________________________________
Simon Mustoe - Principal
AES Applied Ecology Solutions Pty Ltd.
59 Joan Avenue
Ferntree Gully
Melbourne
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AUSTRALIA
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